Going in, I’m not quite sure what I expected from Grizzly Man. I knew the basics — that it was about a man who spent several years living among grizzly bears in Alaska, that he considered himself a protector of and an advocate for the bears, that many people thought he was crazy to do this, and that he ultimately was killed “by the very bears he sought to protect” — but I wasn’t sure what the movie’s goal was. I thought there was a good chance it would explain how misunderstood Timothy Treadwell, its hero, was.

Turns out, however, that he wasn’t all that misunderstood.

The movie is directed by the German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who also provides the film’s halting and sometimes difficult-to-understand narration. The movie is mostly assembled from some 100 hours of footage shot by Treadwell on a couple of cameras that, for the last five of his thirteen summers in the Alaskan wilderness, he hauled along with him. The footage is accompanied by Herzog’s interviews of Treadwell’s friends and critics, as well as some stunning location photography depicting the setting of his various camp sites during his final summer.

The most interesting aspect of the film is the way Herzog manages to convince us, at least for the first half-hour or so, that Treadwell was indeed a misunderstood champion of nature. Treadwell’s footage shows him interacting at various distances with bears, sometimes allowing them close enough to touch with his fingertip. He explains that most of the time he is a “gentle warrior”, but that at times he is challenged by these bears, and in order to survive, the gentle warrior has to become “a samurai”. In fact, he captures on camera a couple of challenges, and he turns the bears around simply by standing his ground and raising his voice to them.

One of the more fascinating aspects of this early part of the movie is not Treadwell’s interaction with the bears, but with some of the other wildlife in the area. His camp is located between a couple of fox dens, and after a short time the foxes have acclimated to him. He captures some truly wonderful moments on film — running with the foxes through a meadow; sitting inside his tent and playing with a fox who is perched on the tent’s outer ceiling; stroking a fox’s fur like one might pet a domesticated cat.

But Herzog turns his camera on Treadwell’s parents, who are stiff and probably have never been much else, and their tales of Treadwell’s childhood begins to paint a new picture. Presently, Treadwell’s own footage begins to reflect this as well. The downhill slide is fast and unsettling. Treadwell cries over the carcass of a half-eaten fox kit, and lashes out at a fly that has landed on it: “Get off of him! At least while I’m here. Fucker!” He tells the dead fox and just about every animal he encounters that he loves it, and thanks it for being his friend. He approaches a fresh pile of bear dung, and lovingly caresses it: “This was inside her!” He records himself ranting at “Jesus-boy or Allah or Hindu floaty-thing”, demanding rain because the fish can’t run, and as a consequence his animal family is starving.

Treadwell often shot several takes of himself speaking to the camera, as Herzog explains, because he wasn’t sure just how the footage would be used and so he tried to cover his bases. (In one clip he agonizes over which bandanna to wear, worried about potential continuity problems.) In a particularly telling scene, Treadwell films himself on the beach, doing a purposeful walk toward the camera — much like Robert Stack did in “Unsolved Mysteries” — while summing up the summer’s adventures. Take one is nothing more than that — a piece of recap narration. Take two, however, quickly unravels into an angry, adolescent, profanity-injected rant at almost anybody he can imagine — poachers, hunters, the government.

Treadwell’s paranoia becomes undeniable. He wears a camo-patterned headband, paints his face, and hides in the bushes to film a boatload of sportsmen who arrive on a nearby shore. He doesn’t confront them, but the next day he films several “messages” that the sportsmen left for him. One is a tree branch upon which is written “Hi Timothy - See you again Summer 2001″. Another is a stack of rocks; on one a happy face is drawn. Treadwell believes that these are not friendly messages, but considers them threats; what’s implied by Herzog’s silence during these scenes is that the messages weren’t left by anybody, but were possibly created by Treadwell himself.

During each of his summers, Treadwell would spend the first half of his stay in a protected grizzly reserve, and would then travel some thirty-five miles to what he called the ‘grizzly maze’, a lakeside tangle of brushy tundra that the bears had carved paths through. This was where they migrated to just before hibernation, and where they were in the most danger from hunters. In his final summer, the maze is where he died after making a critical error: after ending his ‘expedition’, he returned to the maze later than usual to find that “his” bears had already begun to hibernate, and that bears unknown to him had moved into the area in their wake. In his final days, he likely filmed the bear who would ultimately kill him (and his girlfriend, who accompanied him for the final two years).

Morbidly enough, Treadwell managed to film his own death — or would have, had he time enough to remove the lens cap from his camera. Instead, the camera recorded only the audio. Herzog is shown listening to this audio on headphones, but it isn’t in the movie. One of Treadwell’s friends is in possession of the video camera and the tape; Herzog tells her she must never listen to the tape, that she should in fact destroy it, or it will always haunt her. She agrees, but her expression as he listened suggests that she has already listened to it. The medical examiner who dealt with Treadwell’s remains has also listened to the tape, and describes it in some detail. This is enough.

The question of Treadwell’s mental health aside, it’s hard to deny that there was something extraordinary his long coexistence with one of the most dangerous species known to man. But the story’s pitted with holes that undermine this: He claimed to study the bears, but had no formal scientific background. He fell apart when faced with the brutality of nature. His view of the universe seemed to be all about balance and beauty, and was severely incapable of dealing with the concept of predator and prey.

Herzog’s narration of a scene filmed shortly before Treadwell’s death sums it up nicely: “And what haunts me is that, in all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature. To me, there is no such thing as a secret world of the bears. This blank stare speaks only of a half-bored interest in food. But for Timothy Treadwell, this bear was a friend, a savior.”

Whatever. The guy was off his rocker.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006   

1. KVD wrote:
   May 31st, 2006 at 8:31 pm

   Dear J,

   Hello, I saw the film and thought the guy was nuts!! Just egging the bears on to attack him. I also thought his voice was a bit feminine! Nature is one thing, but you have to deal with the consequences when “you mess with mother nature”. Love, AK

2. liz wrote:
   June 1st, 2006 at 11:53 am

   Yeah - Treadwell was CR-AZY!

3. Jg wrote:
   June 1st, 2006 at 11:56 am

   I genuinely thought that the movie would refute the assumption that you’d have to be nuts to choose a life like he did. It kind of surprised me when the movie chose not to celebrate him blindly.

4. Andrew wrote:
   July 28th, 2006 at 8:00 am

   you know, the man may have been crazy, and I belive he got what was coming to him. But I’m torn over something.

   All our lives, we search for that meaning. We want that utopia. The world we would be ultimately happy in. Timothy Treadwell was clearly not sane in numerous different ways, but this man found his utopia. He found that thing in his life that made him feel like he had a purpouse. Whether or not I agree with it or condone it is a whole different story. But he did what 99% of other people wouldn’t because it is nuts. But he REALLY thought he was doing good. He THOUGHT he was fighting for a cause that needed fighting for. But the sad fact is he was defending bears on a National Wildlife Reserve.

   And as far as Amie, his girlfriend. I don’t think he should be blamed for her death. If I was asked to go live with grizzlys, I would say straight up no. This woman was scared of bears, KNEW the dangers, but chose to go anyways. Whether or not Timothy promised her safety or some sort, I don’t know, but she KNEW the risks and dangers of going there.

   Im so torn as how to critic this movie. I’ve watched it 4 times now, and each time, I can’t pass judgement. While he may be crazy, he did what HE thought was right.

   Much like many inspirational sayings, Timothy Treadwell “Stood Alone” in his cause. Again, it was a silly cause and ultimately killed him, but he did nothing more than I would do if I saw a preserve I though NEEDED defending, I just MIGHT do the same. But rational thinking would lead me in the other direction.

5. WTILLER wrote:
   August 25th, 2006 at 6:55 am

   THIS GUY MUST HAVE STILL BEEN ON DRUGS! IN MY OPINION HE IS A FUCKING IDIOT! I AM GOING TO HUNT A GRIZZLY BEAR IN THE NEXT 2 WEEKS OR SO, AND BELIEVE ME I WILL PET THEM, BUT AFTER I HAVE PUT A COUPLE OF 225 GRAIN ACCUBOND BULLETS THROUGH HIS VILTAL ORGANS, NOT HIS TEETH AND CLAWS THROUGH MINE! HAPPY HUNTING, BILL

6. Jg wrote:
   August 25th, 2006 at 7:28 am

   I think those last two comments pretty much sum up how divisive this movie is…

7. n wrote:
   September 20th, 2006 at 1:13 pm

   in my opinion, I believe Treadwell thought the universe was harmonious, and that is where everything fell apart. Yes, Timothy carried some characteristics that contributed in people believeing he was insane, but other than that, I believe living with the grizzlies was a passion for him, something he really wanted to do, and he did it.

8. C.M.R. wrote:
   March 1st, 2007 at 5:26 am

   Timothy was brave and eager to establish his experience as study which we could all benefit by. 13 seasons is nothing to sulk about. He managed reasonably well out there considering he was up against a hostile human vs. nature environment too.
   The human condition says to us that man also presents us with dangers and can substitute in either predator or prey situation. Timothy and Amy found some solace there in each other’s arms anyhow.
   Their dream fulfilled to live with the bears and even die with the bears. We all take chances every day too. Have some heart.

9. Bernie wrote:
   January 4th, 2008 at 10:14 am

   “Whatever”?

   That, juxtaposed against the filmakers clear expression of intent looks kind of shallow.

   After four decades of critics and students trying to get him to say what his films are trying to say about the human condition, he finally says it on film and the best we get is a retelling of the films events and “whatever.”

   However personally flawed these characters may have been, they exemplify the eternal Herzog theme - the ecstacy of the human spirit in the face of an universe that is at worst hostile and at best indifferent to our very existence.

   That Treadwell did more than exist for a short period is far more than any losers who type in all caps will ever experience.

   It is the joy we see in Timothy Treadwell’s face that is the point of the whole movie — every Herzog movie.

   It’s not about solace it’s about the joy of life.

10. nigga wrote:
    January 5th, 2008 at 9:21 am

    you guy are just a bunch of lonely niggas who have no live and wanna be like me and my niggas. DAMN!!!!!!!

the blog and design portfolio of Jason Gurley. (Learn more.) This site has been around since 1998; me, since 1978. In 2005 I drove 3,000 miles to see a movie. 2009 is pretty aimless so far, but I'm sure I'll get around to something sooner or later.

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